Thursday, 12 August 2010

INTERVIEW: SRC [No Hats No Hoods/Numbers]

After releasing singles on imprints like Rwina and Numbers, Birmingham based producer SRC has this week dropped the Ryouko EP on the No Hats No Hoods label. Flicking from the oriental strings of the title track, which capitalises on that stone cold boom bap groove present in Joker's earlier work, he lilts out the electronic funk on 'Quarterback Circle' and 'Switch Up' working in a vein similar to Terror Danjah, i.e. incredibly prolifically. Nestling perfectly amongst the new wave of ultra melodic grime that powers the beat out under the torrent of synths, he's adept at infusing those primitive 8 bit melodies that made early computer gaming such a hypnotizing experience, into his work.

With his youtube demonstration videos providing a unique insight into his methods in the studio we caught up with him, shot him our semi tailored generic questionnaire and scooped our 52nd exclusive Sonic Router mix.

Sonic Router: Can you provide those who may not know you with a bit of background info?

SRC: Yeah, I’m a producer/DJ from Birmingham, UK. I’ve been making beats for about 6 years. Recently put out two EPs (Gold Coinz & Goin’ Out). Just about to release the third, Ryouko EP on No Hats No Hoods.

Outside of music who are you? What do you do on the daily?

Apart from the regular stuff like chilling out with friends & work etc, there’s no real “outside of music” for me. I’m making/listening to/thinking about music most of the time and tend to fit anything else around that.

How did you first get into making music? What was it that infected you to do so?

I first got into making music after being into garage/early grime. I was always listening to the pirate stations in Birmingham. Got “music 2000” on PS2 to try and make my own beats. Eventually got a PC and carried on from there.

What’s your production set up like? What’s your favourite bit of kit in the studio?

I’m always buying and selling bits of equipment but right now it’s at its most basic. A standard PC, a pair of studio monitors, a mixer and a MIDI keyboard. The MIDI is my favourite though, it’s an M-audio Axiom that I’ve had for years.

How would you describe your sound? You share a brashy kind of computer grime influence thing with people like Swindle etc…

It’s hard to describe in brief, but my current stuff I just think of as a type of instrumental grime. A lot of my tracks are influenced by retro games because I really like the way the melodies were constructed. They’re memorable and fun and that’s what I try to bring out in my own stuff.

How did you get into this current flux of dubstep?

I think it was just the support from DJs other than the specialist grime ones. Having DJs like Oneman, Mary Anne Hobbs, Jackmaster etc maybe made my tracks more accessible to people who don’t particularly check for grime as a whole.

Your YouTube beat tapes really interest me. Like you make the process look so simple. What made you start doing them? What’s the thinking behind them? Like just to show the layers and different sounds?

The beat videos are just my fun, most don’t end up finished but I enjoy doing them. I always thought the process of making a beat is as interesting as the end product and decided to do some videos.

I mainly did sampled ones on the MPD because I find I can get them done quickly in comparison with my grime beats and they came out more entertaining to watch.

Where do you take inspiration from when making music?

It’s hard to say, I guess I’m inspired by everything in a way. If I’m lacking ideas or have a block I’ll normally listen to some Chinese folk music, reggae, old grime sets, and game soundtracks or anything to give me a good vibe.

You’ve got/had records on Numbers/Rwina/Butterz and your next release comes out shortly on No Hats No Hoods. What’s the deal, what can we expect from the release?

This release is a one I’m really happy with. The title track 'Ryouko' is a one of my personal favourite tracks so I’m glad I got to bring it out, it’s different to any of my other tracks so far as it has the Japanese folk influence.

'Quarter-circle back, kick' (Quarterback circle) is in a similar vein to Goin' Out but twice as excited and 'Switch Up' is a really fun grime beat. Anyone that liked the last two EPs should enjoy this one just as much.

What other projects have you got in the pipeline? What’s happening with you in the rest of 2010? Gigs, releases, personal growth etc?

The next thing will be my track, 'Goomba VIP' which will be a part of the 'Quality Street EP' which also features Terror Danjah, Mr Mitch & Royal-T. Apart from that I’m working on more tracks for release and just playing out more. It’s been such a good year so far I’m just looking forward to working twice as hard for the rest of it.

Tell us a little bit about the mix you turned in for us… I mean you said on twitter it was one of the most fun ones you’ve done. What made it so? Are there mad exclusives on there? Etc etc…

Yeah I enjoyed doing this mix a lot; it’s the 1st mix I’ve done with that many of my own tracks in.

It’s not really filled with exclusives but features some of my favourite tracks from people like Spooky, Royal-T and Kavsrave. I think their tracks all compliment mine even though they all sound so different.

It’s also a good representation of the tracks I’ve been playing out live recently.